Two Atlanta police officers who were “relieved from duty” after a video was posted to Instagram that shows one of them kicking a woman in the head have been identified.
Sgt. Marc Theodule is the officer who can be seen kicking the woman in the face, an Atlanta police spokesperson confirmed. Officer Bridget Citizen stood to the side and did not appear to intervene.
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
APD officials, including Chief Rodney Bryant, learned about the video Monday and immediately suspended Theodule and Citizen, the department said in a news release. The statement said the actions of the two officers “appeared to fall outside our standards and training” and that the agency’s Office of Professional Standards will open an investigation.
“Upon reviewing the video, the actions of the sergeant appear to be unacceptable and we are also concerned with the apparent lack of reaction from another officer present during the incident,” the release said.
In addition to relieving both officers of their duties, Theodule was placed on unpaid suspension, the release said. Further details about Citizen’s status were not provided. Theodule was sworn in as an Atlanta police officer in June 2009, while Citizen joined the APD in September 2006, according to the spokesperson.
Bryant will review the results of the internal investigation before determining the next steps, police said.
The officers were responding to reports of an armed person on Haygood Avenue in the Peoplestown neighborhood, according to a news release. The caller said a woman was walking in the area and had pointed a gun at several people.
Once the officers detained the woman, they “became concerned with the female’s mental health and requested Grady EMS transport her to the hospital for evaluation,” the news release said. No charges were filed against the woman, and no further updates were provided about her condition.
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